i been giving Peaches the Bran for a few days now. i been soaking it with water along with her evening kibble.

how long is it supposed to take to work? by the looks of things its not being digested and just going straight through her.

Karlin

13th August 2008, 06:13 PM

What bran stuff? Why are you giving it to her? To firm stools?

If she is having the runs ongoing, you should definitely be talking to a vet to try and find the source of the problem. Bran may not be (and apparently isn't) any help -- especially if she has any food intolerances to grains.

You need to be finding the source of the problem and working from there. :thmbsup:

cy1266

13th August 2008, 06:14 PM

Hmmm, I feed mine oat bran along with flaked barley every morning and they seem to digest it okay...I don't soak it in water though, I just mix it in with their yogurt or cottage cheese. Maybe try mixing it with a bit of goat's milk yogurt or cottage cheese and see if that helps at all?

Ciren

13th August 2008, 06:15 PM

the vet suggested it to help stop her getting blocked anal glands. its oat bran. she doesnt have permanent runs but her stools are a bit squigy.

Karlin

13th August 2008, 06:18 PM

Grains and dairy products are amongst the most common problem causing ingredients for dogs -- they cause both allergies and food intolerances (see the post on allergies in the Health section of the Library). Neither would necessarily be helpful to a dog with soft stools and could very well be worsening the problem, so it is a good idea to start by talking to your vet. Many dogs do fine with both these things but I'd be assuming any of the common allergy ingredients could be making any problem worse. I'd try a good food like James Wellbeloved or Burns without grains or chicken or beef and don't add things to it, keep it bland. Give her a few weeks on on a good food and see how she does and cut out all treats that have grains, milk, eggs, anything that causes food intolerances.

Ciren

13th August 2008, 06:25 PM

she is on james well beloved. the only treats i give her are pedigree chum training treats.

oh she gets a bit of liver pate at night in a kong, which i fill with her kibble.

*Pauline*

13th August 2008, 06:36 PM

Dylan was nearly always a bit soft on JWB and even on the Royal Canin intestinal diet from the vet which cost about £1.70 a tin. I changed to Chappie Original, about 40p a tin. Vets recommend it for sensitive tummies and he has been fine ever since. Honestly the vet bills I had and poor Dylan's episodes of diarrhoea are over at last and he LOVES it!!!! It has some kind of roughage in it which you can see in the poo, I'm sure this helps keep glands clear.

Ciren

13th August 2008, 06:46 PM

how good is chappie all round? also how is his teeth?

*Pauline*

13th August 2008, 06:58 PM

Chappie is great and his teeth are fine. He has raw hide cigar shaped chews and I brush his teeth. Chappie in the chicken flavour has sugars, as do many dog foods, so I won't feed that.

sins

13th August 2008, 07:51 PM

Daisy's glands were cleared by the vet tonight and was done successfully. He recommended Bran but I explained she was on Arden grange food and a gluten free diet and always produced firm stools anyway.
So we agreed the best thing to do was to have the vet empty them when she comes in for vaccinations/check ups etc...and if she shows any sign of scooting at all to bring her in as it was unlikely that it could be prevented by adding fibre.It seems to be a particular problem with cavaliers.
Sins

Ciren

13th August 2008, 10:35 PM

i have been thinking the same, i don't mind paying to get them done so it doesnt matter.

firmer stools would make them easier to pick up tho :D

Mimi

13th August 2008, 11:04 PM

We use Nutrifyba for our 3 . A scoop on their royal canin nuts . We dont mix with water , they have access to water and prefer the crunch of the nuts and the texture of the bran . The addition of the Bran has made a vast improvement in the firmness of their pooh , and does help prevent the impacting of the anal glands . Our Vet recommended it . They enjoy it so much they lick the bowl if there is any bran left .
mimi